Ahly are just four wins short of a fifth straight Egyptian Premier League title after beating Wadi Degla 2-0 at Cairo Stadium on Friday. A header from striker Marwan Mohsen and a stoppage-time piledriver from defensive midfielder Hamdi Fathi gave Ahly their third successive win as they continued their unstoppable march towards a 42nd league crown. In between, Degla almost equalised, only to be denied by a bizarre offside decision from referee Gehad Greisha following a VAR review. Ahly are on top of the table with 65 points, a staggering 17 ahead of nearest challengers Zamalek with only 10 matches left. Degla dropped to 13th on 26 points, five clear of the relegation zone. The Cairo giants' early pressure could have resulted in an eight-minute opener when Angolan winger Geraldo just missed an inviting low cross from Ahmed El-Sheikh with the goal gaping. But Degla produced some neat interplay afterwards and could have taken a surprise lead just one minute later when a free header from Mohamed Reda was saved by Ahly's in-form keeper Mohamed El-Shennawi. Degla then sat back to soak up pressure and conceded a penalty on 40 minutes when striker Marwan Hamdi handled in the area, but Magdi Afsha's tame effort was easily saved by veteran goalkeeper Mohamed Abdel-Monsef. However, Marwan Mohsen made amends two minutes later, leaping over his marker and sending a bouncing header home after a left-wing cross from Geraldo, who was otherwise disappointing. Degla looked slightly better than their illustrious opponents in the second half and were harshly denied an equaliser four minutes past the hour mark. A free-kick was floated in the area, with Hamdi heading it across the area for Khaled Reda to head the ball in off the bar after the keeper failed to intercept it. Although Hamdi was clearly not in an offside position, the referee disallowed the goal after a VAR review, apparently penalizing an offside teammate for possible infringement. Geraldo missed a sitter before Hamdi made sure of the win with a late strike, finding the corner of the net with a delightful snap shot from distance. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
